Charges have been dropped against a Colorado man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 10-month-old baby

News from the USA

Of Patrick Reilly

A Colorado man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 10-month-old baby was dismissed this week after a judge ruled that the lead prosecutor violated his right to a fair trial by telling a reporter that he cared for the child only to ” he goes to bed”.

William Jacobs, 22, was accused of shaking toddler Edward Hayes to death after he was found unresponsive in a motel room in Cañon City, about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs in May 2023, according to local reports.

An order granting the motion to dismiss was filed Wednesday by Fremont County District Court Judge Kaitlin Turner after the district attorney prosecuting the case gave a shocking interview disparaging the suspect, The Cañon City Daily Record reported.

Jacobs was the last person to care for Edward after the child’s mother and his girlfriend, Brook Crawford, 21, left the two alone while she went to work.

A medical examiner ruled that the baby died of blunt force trauma to the head. He was arrested on May 21 and charged with first degree murder.

But the charges were eventually dropped because of comments 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley made during an interview with a local news outlet about the case that amounted to “outrageous government behavior” , the judge decided.

“I’m going to be very direct here. He (referring to Mr. Jacobs) has no investment in this child. Zero,” the prosecutor told KRDO in August. “He’s looking at that baby so he can be put to sleep. This is. And have a place to sleep.”

“I’m sorry to be so blunt, but honest to God, that’s what’s going on,” she added.

Stanley also told the reporter in the interview that Jacobs “has a pretty horrible past, including fondling his mother… It’s not good… It’s kind of weird… What kid would fondle his mother, right?”

The prosecutor also revealed that he was previously charged with a sex crime, spent time in a juvenile detention center and had a “violent past.”

“This conduct violated Mr. Jacobs’ right to a fair trial. As a result, dismissal of the charges is an appropriate remedy,” Turner wrote.

Jacobs was staying at the Motel 6 where Crawford lived and worked at the front desk. He moved into her room shortly after they met, according to local reports.

After the baby was found unresponsive, Jacobs initially told police she was changing the baby’s diaper when Edward “stiffed up and started gargling,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the newspaper.

Jacobs testified that he had abused the child before – biting the child’s arm while playing too hard with him and slamming the child’s head against the bathroom door frame while trying to make him vomit in the toilet. The child had been bitten by a dog before, he said.

At a preliminary hearing, the court heard expert testimony stating that Edward’s head trauma was not accidental based on the severity and pattern of the injuries, according to the Canon City Daily Record.

Jacobs was released on a personal recognizance bond on April 9 after Crawford sent a letter to the court saying he could stay with her.

“William is a good person,” Crawford wrote. “He just needs the opportunity to show you and the community and he has so much potential that is wasted in prison. … I feel like if you just gave him the time and the chance to show you, you would understand how great he is and will be.”

Stanley faces an ethics complaint and possible disbarment. A hearing on her conduct has been scheduled for June.